1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 289 What triggered this?

Theodore looked at Leo:

"You don't care at all whether those wooden soldier sculptures were bought or not."

“You just see that Danny Morrow likes them, so you want to take them away.”

Leo tried to defend himself:
"No, I didn't! I didn't!"

"I just wanted to see..."

Meeting Theodore's gaze, Leo couldn't continue speaking.

He moved his lips, lowered his head, and fell silent.

Theodore shook his head, denying his statement:
"You don't 'want to see,' you 'want to steal.'"

“You want to take anything that belongs to Danny Morrow.”

"You just want to bully him and find pleasure in it."

Leo's head drooped even lower.

Theodore stared at him for a moment, then asked him to confirm:
"Is this the last time you'll see Danny Morrow?"

Leo nodded.

Billy Cartwright arrived just in time.

He shielded Danny Morrow behind him, shoved Leo, and threatened him.

He told Leo to stay away from Danny Morrow and warned Leo that if he ever saw Leo bullying Danny Morrow again, he would expose all the bad things Leo had done, have Leo beaten half to death by his father, and then be locked in an iron cage by Sheriff Hawkins.

At the time, many adults in town liked to use Sheriff Hawkins to scare children, claiming that if they did something bad, they would be locked in an iron cage by Sheriff Hawkins.

Sheriff Hawkins often cooperated with the adults' intimidation tactics, putting on a fierce appearance.

Leo was afraid of being beaten half to death, and even more afraid of being locked in an iron cage. He couldn't beat Billy Cartwright, so he had no choice but to leave.

The next day, when Leo arrived at school, he immediately noticed that Danny Morrow was not there.

He excitedly reported the situation to the teacher, hoping that Danny Morrow would be punished.

That morning, Leo saw Sheriff Hawkins at the school.

This made him very nervous, as he thought it was aimed at him.

But Sheriff Hawkins didn't go to him; instead, he walked anxiously into the teacher's office.

After school, Leo learned from his parents that Danny Morrow hadn't come home the night before and might have been attacked by wild animals.

Theodore asked him:
Did you see victim number 3 at school the next day?

Leo shook his head.

He did not meet Billy Cartwright.

Therefore, upon learning that Danny Morrow had been attacked by wild animals, Leo immediately thought of the argument that had taken place the previous afternoon by Blackwater Creek.

He thought the two of them had encountered wild animals after he left, and he even asked his parents about Billy Cartwright.

His parents told him that Billy Cartwright was just sick and recuperating at home, and had not been attacked by a wild animal.

Leo wanted to tell his parents what had happened yesterday afternoon, but he didn't want Danny Morrow to be found, so he ultimately chose to keep quiet.

Leo was overjoyed to confirm that Billy Cartwright was alright and that only that jerk Danny Morrow had been attacked.

He was so happy he almost jumped for joy.

Soon, in order to find Danny Morrow, the entire town of Lone Pine was mobilized and frequently ventured into the mountains.

The school also gave several days off, and the older students went into the mountains to search as well.

Leo was absolutely having a blast during that time.

He could do whatever he wanted without worrying about being locked in a cage by Sheriff Hawkins or being beaten half to death by his father.

He even secretly thanked Danny Morrow in his heart, hoping that he could hide well and never be found.

After the search for Danny Morrow ended, his parents got back to picking berries and were too busy to pay any attention to him.

He has plenty of time to hang out with his friends.

That was the happiest summer Leo had ever had.

Theodore asked Leo:

"During the search for Danny Morrow, did you go to see the third victim?"

Leo nodded.

He went to see Billy Cartwright several times.

He believed that with Danny Morrow gone, the conflict between him and Billy Cartwright had also disappeared.

They can become good friends again very soon.

But Billy Cartwright didn't want to go out.

He was very ill and extremely worried about Danny Morrow's condition.

Theodore inquired about Billy Cartwright's specific medical condition.

Leo shook his head.

He never actually met Billy Cartwright; it was Eleanor Cartwright who told him about Billy Cartwright's situation.

Theodore looked at Sheriff Hawkins.

Sheriff Hawkins remained silent for a few seconds before speaking:
“Billiard had a bad cold at the time, and I heard he was unconscious for several days before waking up.”

“Eleanor had to stay home to take care of him and couldn’t come with us to the mountains to search for Danny.”

"Eleanor has always felt guilty about this."

Theodore turned his gaze to Leo:
"What happened to those wooden soldier sculptures? Have you seen them since?"

Leo shook his head again.

Theodore then asked:
What did they look like? Do you remember?

Leo recalled:
"It's carved from wood, this big, all green except for the red hat and boots."

He gestured with his hand to indicate a height of about 2 inches (approximately 5 centimeters):

“Each soldier is in a different pose, and they even have facial features.”

"They were also carrying guns, some were rifles, some were shotguns, and some were pistols."

Theodore asked a few more questions and then ended the conversation.

The other side also ended quickly.

Leo's father knew no more than anyone else in town.

He didn't even know that Leo had met Danny Morrow the day before.

The day after Danny Morrow disappeared, he and his wife were picking berries on the mountain.

I only learned the news from my neighbor after I got home that evening.

The next day, the town organized a search team, and they joined in.

After the search was completed, Luke Morrow thanked him.

Leo's father had beaten him up for bullying Danny Morrow and demanded that he apologize to Danny Morrow.

At the time, neither Luke Morrow nor Leo's father took it seriously, thinking it was just children playing around.

They were bullied when they were young, and they also bullied others.

Luke Morrow did not react as strongly as he had this morning.

After signing the confidentiality agreement, Leo and his son left the tavern.

Theodore suggested going to see Dr. Jack and wanted to visit Blackwater Creek.

Sheriff Hawkins raised objections:
"It's too late now. Blackwater Creek is the only water source in the vicinity, and wild animals often come to the river to drink. If we go there now, we are likely to encounter wild animals."

"Moreover, the place is full of rocks, and you could easily fall into the water if you're not careful."

Theodore asked him:
"Where is that road Leo mentioned? Can you find it?"

Sheriff Hawkins shook his head:
"can."

“But that road goes up the mountain, and it’s too late now; it’s not safe to go up the mountain.”

"Let's go tomorrow."

Theodore was also shaking his head:
"No."

"Tomorrow morning, Luke Morrow will lead a group into the mountains to clear the forest trails, and then he will go on patrol."

"It will be at least three weeks before I see him again."

Billy Hawke hesitated for a moment, then asked a question:

"Boss, will he run away?"

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Billy Hawke explained again:

“We saw him this morning, and Sheriff Hawkins introduced him last night. We're here to investigate the murder of the John Cartwright family.” “What if he tries to escape?”

“There are mountains everywhere here, and he has been a forest ranger here for so many years, so he must know the terrain better than we do.”

“He only needs to disappear into the mountains, and even if we mobilize the entire town to search for him, we may not be able to find him.”

Theodore dismissed his guess:

“Luke Morrow is very methodical and has a high level of execution ability.”

"The plan should have been made after I left the tavern last night."

"He will leave under the pretext of clearing forest roads and patrolling the mountains."

“Luke Morrow is a ranger himself and often lives in the mountains, only staying for 1-2 days each time he comes back.”

"It's perfectly normal for him to leave town tomorrow."

He looked at Billy Hawke:
"Furthermore, this morning, Luke Morrow voluntarily cooperated with the investigation and provided us with information."

"This is not something a murderer on the run would do."

“Luke Morrow hopes to gain sympathy and establish himself as a victim rather than a perpetrator by sharing his past experiences.”

"He hopes to continue living in Lonely Pine Town as before."

Sheriff Hawkins asked him:
Why not arrest him?

Theodore nodded to him:

"Don't rush. After we've checked the situation at Blackwater Creek, we'll arrest Luke Morrow."

A brief silence fell over the dining table.

Agent Cronin looked at Theodore with some surprise.

I departed from DC on June 29th, and today is July 1st.

In just three days, a cold case that had been shelved for nine years was broken?
He flipped through the notebook, looked at the pages full of notes and the densely packed questions that followed, and couldn't help but ask Theodore:

"But we have no evidence at all."

Sheriff Hawkins couldn't help but nod in agreement:

"Leo's testimony only mentioned that he saw Billy with Danny when he left."

"He didn't see it..."

He paused, then continued:

"...saw Billy kill Danny."

"This is just speculation."

"And even if Billy killed Danny, it doesn't prove that Luke killed John's family."

Everyone looked at him.

Billy Hawke couldn't help but ask him:
"Do you want Luke Morrow to be arrested, or do you not want him to be arrested?"

Sheriff Hawkins stammered a few words, then fell silent.

Theodore reminded Sheriff Hawkins:

"Luke Morrow is the murderer. He killed three people, and you are the sheriff of Lone Pine."

Billy Hawke patted Sheriff Hawkins on the shoulder:

“Buddy, the boss is right. You’re the sheriff of Lone Pine, so you have to stand on our side.”

Bernie glanced at Billy Hawke.

He was certain that what Theodore said was not the same thing as what Billy Hawke meant at all.

Sheriff Hawkins forced a smile but remained silent.

Agent Cronin steered the conversation back to the case itself:

“Sheriff Hawkins is right, we have no evidence at all.”

He was unaware that Theodore and his team solved cases almost entirely based on circumstantial evidence and the perpetrators' confessions.

Billy Hawke slapped Agent Cronin hard on the back, making a loud thud.

"Agent Cronin, you should take a closer look at our department's case reports when you get back."

Agent Cronin blocked Billy Hawke's hand and moved a little further away.

He felt like he was about to be slapped to death.

Billy Hawke looked smug.

Sheriff Hawkins looked bewildered.

The group left the tavern and headed straight for the clinic.

The clinic is closed.

Sheriff Hawkins went to knock on Dr. Jack's door again, but was called out by someone.

Dr. Jack confirmed that Danny Morrow was indeed called to John Cartwright's house when he disappeared, and that he had been treated by Billy Cartwright.

Theodore asked him about the specifics of Billy Cartwright.

Dr. Jack thought for a moment, unsure:

“He had a high fever, a very serious one. When I got to John’s house, the boy had fainted.”

"Eleanor is wiping his body with wine."

"I touched my forehead, and it was frighteningly hot."

“I remember taking the child’s temperature, and it was around 104 degrees Fahrenheit (about 40 degrees Celsius).

"At such high temperatures, not to mention children, even adults' brains could be easily damaged by the heat."

"I was terrified, I thought it was meningitis."

"The child was breathing shallowly and rapidly, his body was stiff, his limbs were twitching, and he had a high fever."

"I gave him a sedative and prescribed antibiotics and antipyretics."

"Then Eleanor and John took turns wiping his body to cool him down."

“I had them take turns keeping watch at night, and told them to pay attention to the child’s breathing and temperature changes, and to come to me if anything happened.”

He was somewhat moved:
"Not only did they not sleep well that night, but I didn't sleep well either."

Bernie asked him:

"Did Billy Cartwright recover from his illness later?"

Dr. Jack smiled and nodded, offering his own speculation:

"I guessed it was meningitis. I prescribed penicillin and tetracycline, and thankfully they worked."

He glanced at Bernie, then at Agent Cronin, who was furiously scribbling in his notebook, and quickly clarified:
"The child's condition improved the next day, and he recovered after a few days."

"I cured the meningitis a long time ago!"

Theodore looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then corrected him:

"It might not be meningitis."

Dr. Jack was taken aback and looked at Theodore with confusion.

Theodore explained:
"The symptoms exhibited by the deceased at the time were likely physical symptoms caused by acute stress disorder or conversion disorder."

Dr. Jack stared at Theodore with a puzzled look for a moment, then turned his gaze to the others.

Bernie and the others also looked at Theodore.

Theodore thought for a moment:

"It is a physical and mental breakdown caused by extreme fear, guilt and psychological trauma."

"Patients are usually motionless, unable to speak, and unresponsive to their surroundings, appearing as if they are in a deep coma."

"The high fever is a 'psychogenic fever' caused by intense psychological stress through the neuroendocrine system."

Dr. Jack looked completely bewildered:

What triggered it?

Theodore repeated it.

Dr. Jack heard it clearly this time, but still couldn't understand it:

"You mean, he was frightened and then developed a high fever?"

"How can this be!"

Theodore stared at him for a moment, then turned his gaze to Bernie.

Bernie changed the subject, thanking Dr. Jack for his cooperation.

(End of this chapter)